VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" Premieres Monday, September 6 at 10/9c
VH1 Personality Jim Shearer to Host 4-Night Special
Go to TheGreatest.Vh1.com to Vote Your Favorites
NEW YORK, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- VH1 goes back to its music roots and revisits the age-old question: "Who is the greatest music artist for all time?" Determined by a poll of well-known music artists and music experts in the industry, VH1 will reveal this definitive (and sure-to-be highly controversial) list declaring who is the greatest of the great. Hosted by Jim Shearer (VH1's "Top 20 Video Countdown"), the 4-night special, VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time," premieres Monday, September 6 at 10/9c with a 2-hour premiere.
This definitive countdown covers all genres of music – from rock to pop to rap to metal – to answer who is worthy to possess the title as "the greatest music artist of all time." Over the 200 musicians including Alicia Keys, Ozzy Osbourne, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Iggy Pop, Nas, Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Geddy Lee (Rush), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Michael Diamond (Beastie Boys), Daryl Hall, John Oates, Noel Gallagher (Oasis), Gene Simmons (KISS), Adam Levine (Maroon Five), 50 Cent, Nelly Furtado, Mandy Moore, Carrie Underwood, Adam Clayton (U2) and many more voted on who they believe deserves this highly coveted title.
In 1998, VH1 launched the same list as the channel's first countdown special; however; much has changed since the dawn of the new millennium. VH1 puts this debate up for a vote again to see which rock pioneers still matter and which new acts rate in the age of download-to-own music and ever-changing pop culture. The countdown will include special, rarely-seen performance footage along with brand new, totally original interviews with music's most famous faces including interviews by Adele, Backstreet Boys, Brandy, Bret Michaels, Chris Daughtry, Hall & Oates, Keane, Ozzy Osbourne, Ray J, Sheryl Crow, Usher, Whitney Houston and many more.
VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" has changed since its first poll in 1998. Some notable changes include:
Michael Jackson was number 40 in the 1998 poll; however, in the current list Jackson is in the top 5.

Artists from the 1960s and 1970s are still relevant with today's artists. Younger musicians like Adam Levine, Jason Mraz, Chris Daughtry and Carrie Underwood cast votes for classic acts like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Stevie Wonder.

Contemporary artists like Beyonce, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Eminem, Coldplay and Green Day are in the Top 100. However, current headliners Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Lil' Wayne and The White Stripes failed to make the cut.

The poll reflects changing tastes. The list features over 30 artists who did not make the cut in 1998 including ABBA, Journey, Hall and Oates, Rush, George Michael, Mariah Carey, Sade and Cheap Trick.

The 1998 list included very few Hard Rock artists. This time, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Metallica, Judas Priest and Def Leppard made the list.

The 1998 list ignored Hip Hop entirely. Now Jay-Z, OutKast, Run-DMC, Public Enemy, Tupac Shakur, Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J and N.W.A. are in the top 100. However no hip hop artist broke the top 40. Jay-Z was highest at #47.